This fall, NH Recycles is hitting the road again for our annual Fall Bus Tour — and this year, we’re staying right here in New Hampshire!
On Thursday, October 15, we’ll visit two municipal transfer stations and one of New England’s largest processors of construction and demolition debris. Along the way, attendees will get a close-up look at different approaches to recycling and waste diversion, learn how facilities find value in materials that might otherwise be disposed of, and have plenty of time to ask questions and swap ideas with fellow operators.
The tour is designed especially for municipal solid waste operators working in rural communities, but the lessons will be useful for anyone interested in practical ways to improve recycling programs, manage costs, and connect materials with viable end markets.
Thanks to support through our USDA Rural Recycling Capacity project, the tour is free for NH Recycles members, with priority given to operators from eligible grant communities.
Three Stops, Three Different Approaches
One of the best parts of an NH Recycles bus tour is seeing how other facilities tackle the same challenges in different ways. This year’s stops offer three very different perspectives.
Candia Recycling Center
Since opening in 2008, the facility estimates that recycling has saved the town more than $1 million through a combination of avoided disposal costs and revenue from recyclable commodities. Attendees will get to see Candia’s source-separated recycling operation and learn more about programs such as its successful non-ferrous metal recycling program.
For operators from smaller communities, Candia offers a great example of how careful material management can turn recycling into both a waste-diversion strategy and a financial tool.
ReSource Waste Services
From Candia, we’ll head to ReSource Waste Services in Epping, the largest processor of construction and demolition (C&D) wood waste in New England.
C&D can include wood, metal, roofing, drywall, bulky materials and other debris generated during construction, renovation, and demolition projects. The facility processes a wide variety of non-hazardous C&D waste, separating materials with value and transforming them into commodities that can be reused or recycled rather than simply disposed of.
ReSource Waste Services employees inspect and sort C&D for processing
For municipal operators, the tour provides a chance to better understand where C&D goes after the materials leave a transfer station or job site, what can be recovered, and why keeping certain materials separated can make a difference downstream.
Barrington Transfer Station
By the end of the day, participants will have seen source-separated recycling, single-stream recycling, PAYT, separate glass collection, metals recovery, and large-scale C&D processing — all within three New Hampshire facilities.
Register for the Tour(opens in a new tab)
Learning Doesn’t Stop Between Tours
This year’s bus tour is about more than walking through facilities.
During lunch, NH Recycles staff will provide a recycling markets update, followed by a roundtable discussion where attendees can dig into what they’ve seen during the day, ask questions, troubleshoot challenges at their own facilities, and hear what is working in other communities. That peer-to-peer conversation is often one of the most valuable parts of our tours.
Attendees will receive at least six hours of continuing professional development credit toward NHDES Solid Waste Operator Certification.
Leave the Driving (only) to Us
The day begins at the NH Recycles office at 2101 Dover Road in Epsom.
A luxury motorcoach will have comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, and a bathroom, so attendees can focus on the tour and on talking shop with fellow operators, instead of navigating between sites.
The current schedule is:
- 8:00 a.m. — Arrive and board at NH Recycles
- 8:15 a.m. — Bus departs
- 9:00 a.m. — Tour Candia Recycling Center
- 11:00 a.m. — Tour ReSource Waste Services in Epping
- 1:00 p.m. — Lunch, recycling markets presentation and roundtable discussion
- 2:30 p.m. — Tour Barrington Transfer Station
- 4:15 p.m. — Return to NH Recycles
All three site visits include walking tours, and we’ll be spending much of the day on our feet, walking across working facility surfaces. Closed-toe, comfortable shoes are required, and attendees should come prepared for uneven terrain and outdoor conditions. High-vis gear is also recommended.
Last year's bus tour crew. This year, it could include YOU!
Who Gets Priority?
Our Fall Bus Tours routinely fill up, and we want operators from as many communities as possible to have the opportunity to participate.
Because space is limited, priority will be given to municipal member staff who are certified solid waste facility operators, particularly operators from communities included in NH Recycles’ USDA Rural Recycling Capacity project.
For member communities with multiple certified operators, the first two operators from each municipality to register will receive priority. Additional operators will be placed on a waitlist and invited if space remains after registration closes.
Associate members, Recycling Committee members, other municipal employees, and volunteers are also welcome to register and will be accommodated as space allows.
The tour is FREE for NH Recycles members.
Is Your Community Part of the USDA Project?
Priority will be given to participating rural communities, including:
Acworth, Albany, Alexandria, Allenstown, Alstead, Andover, Antrim, Ashland, Barnstead, Bartlett, Bath, Bennington, Benton, Bethlehem, Boscawen, Bradford, Bridgewater, Bristol, Brookfield, Campton, Canaan, Carroll, Charlestown, Chatham, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Cornish, Dalton, Danbury, Dorchester, Dummer, Easton, Eaton, Effingham, Errol, Fitzwilliam, Franconia, Freedom, Gilsum, Gorham, Goshen, Grafton, Greenville, Groton, Hancock, Haverhill, Hebron, Hill, Hinsdale, Holderness, Jackson, Jaffrey, Lancaster, Landaff, Lempster, Lincoln, Lisbon, Lyman, Marlborough, Middleton, Milan, Milton, Monroe, Moultonborough, New Hampton, New Ipswich, Northfield, Northumberland, Orford, Ossipee, Piermont, Pittsburg, Pittsfield, Randolph, Richmond, Rollinsford, Roxbury, Rumney, Salisbury, Sanbornton, Shelburne, Stark, Stewartstown, Stratford, Tamworth, Thornton, Tilton, Troy, Tuftonboro, Unity, Walpole, Warner, Warren, Washington, Waterville Valley, Wentworth, Whitefield, Winchester, and Woodstock.
Come See What Other Communities Are Doing
There is only so much you can learn about a recycling program from a presentation or a spreadsheet. Sometimes the best way to understand what might work in your own community is to stand at another facility, see the material moving, talk directly with the people doing the work, and ask, “How are you making this work?”
That’s what the Fall Bus Tour is all about.
Join us on Thursday, October 15 for a full day of tours, conversation, markets information, and practical ideas you can bring back to your own facility.